Control mechanism for door latches



Nov. 6, 1951 E. L. ALLEN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR DOOR LATCHES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1948 m n 2-2 iiiiii m n" W. L n m u N w .U w w Mix ATTORNEYS Nov. 6, 1951 E. ALLEN 2,573,679

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR DOOR LATCl-IES Filed Feb. 16, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 fins-1'51 e, 2

G I G FIG.5

- INVENTOR.

' tfjowlu L. ALLEN ATTORNEYS Nov. 6, 1951 E. ALLEN 2,573,679

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR DOOR LATCHES I Filed Feb. 16, 1948 5 Sheet s-Sheet 3 JNVENTOR. EDWIN L ALLEN B A TTOHNE'YS 5 Sheets-Shet 4 E. ALLEN CONTROL MECHANISM Fox DOOR LATCHES Nov. 6, 1951 Filed Feb. 16, 1948 INVENTOR. 50mm L A\ LEN ATTORNEYS Nov. 6, 1951 E. ALLEN 2,573,679

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR DOOR LATCHES Filed Feb. 16, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. EDWIN L. ALLEN ATTOPNE'YSZ Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL MECHANISM FOR DOOR LATCHES Edwin L. Allen, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Rudolph I. Schonitzer,

Cleveland, Ohio Application February 16, 1948, No. 8,565

3 Claims. (Cl- 292-226) This invention relates to door latching and locking mechanisms and more particularly to certain improvements in apparatus for manually effecting release of a door latch from its latched or door closed position.

In the latching and locking of the doors of automotive vehicles or the like, it has been pro.-

posed to use latch mechanisms of various types.

Avery successful device for this purpose is illustrated and described in the Rudolph I. Schontures whereby the door may be latched and held in closed position or released from closed position to permit opening thereof, and a detentconsidered undesirable because, if the mechanism is locked and an effort is made to open the door by operating the handle or push button, excessive force may be applied thereon with resulting damage to the latch mechanism, etc. The same diiiiculty may be encountered in installations of other types of door latches where locking blocks the handle against movement. a

Accordingly, it is among the objects of the present invention to provide safety means for permitting the manually operable handl, push button, or the like of a door latching and'locking installation to be moved by the operator in' its normal path from its neutral or non-operating position to its operating or latch releasing position regardless of whether the latch mechanism, and particularly the part thereof which is directly engaged by the manually operable" unit, is free to move or is locked against movement.

Other objects of my invention include: the

provision of a manually operable control unit for door latches or the like whereby only a pre whereby one of the coacting elements, which may be termed the latch member, is releasably retained in its operative or door latched position when the door is closed. After the detent of this type of mechanism is moved by suitable manually operable means to release the latch member and permit opening of the door, the latch member is moved concurrently with the initial door opening movement into an operated or door unlatched position which is different from itsabove-mentioned operative or door latched position and remainsin this operated position until the door is again closed. Means are also provided for locking the mechanism to prevent unauthorized opening of the door, which means effect locking of the door by blocking the detent, together with the parts of the latch mechanism proper which are directly associated with the detent for actuation thereof, against movement from latch restraining to latch released position In door control installations of the type referred to, manually operable means is provided, such as a push button or handle assembly, for effecting movement of the detent from its latch restraining to its latch released position. In the apparatus of the said Schonitzer patent and of my said copending U. S. patent application such manually operable means is also blocked against movement from its neutral or non-operating position into operating or latch releasing position when the locking means is positioned to block the detent against movement into latch released position. In some instances this arrangement is determined permissible maximum load may be imposed upon the latch mechanism upon operation of the manual unit, thus preventing damage to the latch unit; the provision of manually operable control means for a door latch mecha nism which is effective when the latch mechanism is unlocked to cause release thereof but which, when the latch mechanism is locked, may be moved without releasing the latch mechanism; the provision of a safety handle assembly for door latches or the like which includes a yieldable safety member and is adapted to move between two extreme positions, in one of which the handle is blocked against further movement by en agement with a rigid member arranged to block the handle against further movement before the yieldable member has built up its maxi mum load on the latch mechanism; the provision of a safety handle assembly all moving parts of which are held under spring tension at all times, thus preventing objectionable rattles,

etc.; and the provision of a compact, rugged, effective, and economical manually operable unit for controlling the operation of door latches or the like whereby the possibility of damage to the latch unit is efiectively prevented.

The above and other objects of my invention will appear from the following description of several embodiments thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of the outside of the door of an automotive vehicle or the like, partly in cross section, showing one embodiment of my improved safety handle assembly.

Figure 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure l and illustrating the safety handle assembly toge her with the essential parts of the latch mechanism with whichit is associated, the latch mechanism being shown in door latched position and the handle assembly being shown in neutral or nonoperative position.

Figure 3 is a detached-vertical-cross-sectional view of the safety handle assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2, taken substantially on line 3-4 of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view generally similar to Figure 3 but taken on line 4-4 of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a view generally similar to Figure 2 but showing the latch mechanism in unlocked,

door unlatched position and the handle mechanism in operating or latch releasing position.

Figure 6 is a view generally similar to Figures 2 and 5 but illustrating the latch mechanism in locked, door latched position and the handle of the manual control unit in its fully extended operating or latch releasing position although the contact member of the control unit has remained substantially in its neutral or non-operbut illustrating a modified form of my invention.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in Figure 7, taken substantially on line 8--8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in Figure 7, taken substantially on line 9-9 of Figure I.

Figure 10 is a view generally similar to Figure 2 but showing another modification of my improved control mechanism for door latches or the like.

Figure 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in Figure 10, taken substantially on line Il-ll of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in Figure 10, taken substantially on line I2-l2 of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially on line l3-l3 of Figure 14, generally similar to Figure 2 but illustrating another modification of my invention wherein a single spring acts both as a handle return spring and a yieldable safety element.

Figure 14 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view 1 taken substantially on line I5-l5 of Figure 14,

the parts being seen in their neutral or non-operating positions.

I connected at the free edge of the door by a wall 3. The usual window glass is indicated at G and its glass run channel is seen at G. It will, of course, be understood that my latch control or actuating apparatus may be employed with various types of doors and with other closure mem= bers and with various kinds of latch mechanisms. The illustrated latch mechanism is of the type described and claimed in my said copending United States patent application Serial No. 746,521 and includes a latch member L adapted to coact with a keeper pin (not shown) on the adjacent door frame. This latch mechanism also includes a frame structure generally indicated at F mounted on the inner side of the edge wall 3 and an actuating member in the form of an arm 4 suitably supported by the frame F. This actuating member is adapted to effect release of the latch member L from its door latched position when moved inwardly from the position shown in Figure 2 into that shown in Figure 5 as will be later described. Also included in the latch mechanism, but not illustrated herein as the details thereof form no part of the present invention, is a locking means for locking the latch mechanism to prevent release of the latch member L from its door latched position. For purposes of the present description it will be suflicient to point out that when the looking means is unlocked the actuating member or arm 4 may be moved between its non-operating or neutral position shown in Figure 2 and its operating or latch releasing position shown in Figure 5 while, when the locking mechanism is locked, the actuating member or arm 4 is maintained substantially in its neutral or non-operating position as seen in Figure 2. A locking rod B. shown in Figures 2 and 5, is connected to the locking member R which is pivotally supported at R. Rod B extends upwardly therefrom through the garnish molding for operation 7 from inside the door. When the operator desires to lock the door from the inside, he pushes rod B downwardly, which movement causes the locking member R to block movement of arm 4 in latch releasing direction. Conversely, lifting of rod B releases the arm 4 to permit movement thereof in latch releasing direction.

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive my improved safety handle assembly comprises a handle member 5 of any suitable form having at its inner end a bracket portion generally indicated at 6 and having horizontally inwardly extending spaced side walls I and 8. The support-- ing housing or frame structure for my handle assembly is generally indicated at H and includes a bezel supporting portion 9 disposed on the outer side of the door panel I, a plate Ill secured to the bezel supporting portion 9 having inwardly extending spaced arms I l and I2 connected at their inner ends by a vertical wall l3.

When assembled on a door the arms H and I! extend through a suitable aperture in the door panel I and retaining screws ll, which extend through the edge wall 3 of the door and have threaded engagement with the housing H, are adapted to secure the housing T in position with the plate It clamped against the outer surface of the panel I and the arms H and I2 projecting inwardly into the interior of the door.

The bezel supporting portion 9 is slotted at l5 through suitable holes in the side walls I and I of handle end bracket permitting movement thereof from the position shown in Figure 2intothoseshowninFigures5and6. Itwill be noted that the side walls I and l of bracket 5 are disposed in sliding engagement with the inner surfaces of the arms II and II of housing H, thus guiding the handle in the desired path of movement and providing a substantial and rattle-proof support therefor.

The inner ends I! of the side wall portions I and 8 of bracket 8 form abutments which, as is best seen in Figure 6, are adapted to engage -the,end wall l3 and limit the outward pivotal movement of the handle 5 and bracket 6 about the pivotal support It. Movement of the handle 5 and end bracket 6 in the. opposite (inward) direction is limitedby projecting "arms l8'on the side walls 1 and l which arms, as is clearly seen in Figure 2, engage lugs l3 extending inwardlybracket s and thus normally maintains the outer ends of the pin 22 in engagement with the inner endsoftheslots23and2lasseeninFigures 2 and 3.

In order to return the handle 5 to its neutral position (Figure 2) after it has been moved outwsrdly away from the door panel I into the latch releasing position of Figure 5, I provide a return spring 33 which may be generally similar in form to spring 33 but of considerably less strength. This spring has end portions 33' abutting the lugs I! of the housing H and its other end portion 33" engaging the second guide arm 23 and tending to urge same in clockwise direction relative to the housing H (Figure 2).

Figures 1 1:04 inclusive illustrate the parts of my apparatus in'their door closed and latched positions, the outside doorj'handle 5 being in neutral or non-operating position. If it is defrom the arm portions II and I2 of housing H.

Also pivotally supported on the pin I6 is a guide arm 20 the outer end of which is bifurcated as seen at 23' (Figures 1 and 3) to accommodate the plunger or contact member 2|. This plunger 2| is pivotally secured to the bifurcated end portions 2| of guide arm 20 by a pin 22 which extends outwardly into arcuate slots 23 and 24 in the top and bottom side walls 1 and 8 respectively of the bracket 5. It will be noted that the ends of pin 22 are not secured to the bracket 5 but may have movement relative thereto in the slots 23 and 24 about the common pivotal support It of the guide arm 20 and bracket 6. In order to center the plunger 2| between the upper and lower side walls I and 8 of bracket 6 spacer bars 25 and 25 are disposed between the bifurcated end portions 20' of guide arm 20 and the inner surfaces of side walls I and 8.

Pivotally mounted on a pin 21 which is carried by and extends between the arms II and I2 of housing H is a second guide arm 28 which is also bifurcated at its outer ends as seen at 28- (Figure 3) in the same manner as guide arm 2| and is pivotally secured to the plunger 2| by a pin 29. It will be apparent that the parallel guide arms 20 and 25, which are pivotally supported on the housing H and also pivotally connected to the plunger 2|, will provide a support for plunger 2| guiding it for movement in a path parallel to the common center line of the pivot pins I5 and 21. As illustrated, the arms 20 and 28 are made up of identical stampings thus facilitating manufacture and assembly. It will be noted from Figure 3 that the pivot pin 29 also passes through the spacer bars or links 25 and 26 but does not extend into and is not secured to the side walls I and 8 of handle end bracket 6.

In order to interconnect the handle 5 and end bracket 5 thereof with the guide link 20 so that movement of handle 5 will normally cause corresponding movement of guide link 20 and plunger 2|, I provide a safety spring 35 which has double coil portions 35' and 30" disposed around the pin IS on opposite sides of the guide arm 20 (see Figure 4). The outer end portions 3| of spring 30 engage the arms l8 of the side walls 1 and 8 while the inner ends of the coil portions of spring 35, which are connected tosired to release the latch mechanism to permit opening of the door, assuming that the latch mechanism is not locked and that the actuating member or arm 4 of the latch mechanism is free to move inwardly in latch releasing direction, the operator will grip the handle 5 and pull outwardly thereon. This action will cause the handle 5 and its end bracket portion 6 to move about the pivotal support IS in counterclockwise direction as seen in Figure 2. The arms l8 of bracket 6 will also move in counterclockwise direction around pivot l6 and will cause the safety spring 30 to rotate about the pin IS, the end portion 32 engaging the guide arm 20 and causing corresponding rotation of arm 20 about pin l6. This concurrent movement of the handle 5 and bracket 5 with the guide arm 20 causes the plunger or contact member 2| to be moved inwardly relative to the housing H and to bear against the end of arm 4 causing same to be moved inwardly to release the latch mechanism. As previously noted, this movement of the plunger 2| is in a path parallel to the common center line of pins l6 and 21 due to the action of the second guide arm or link 28.

In order that the handle mechanism will operate as described above to release the latch it is necessary that the spring 30 be of such strength or stiffness, or be preloaded to such a degree, that the resistance imposed against the plunger 2| by the arm I in its normal latch releasing movement is insuflicient to cause material flexing or compression of spring 30. In order to secure the desired firm and positive unlatching action of the handles, the spring 30 is preferably preloaded when installed to such a degree that it will not be appreciably flexed by the force imposed thereon through plunger 2| during release of the unlocked latch mechanism.

Figure 5 illustrates the positions the parts assume when the handle has reached its operating or latch releasing position and it will be noted that, during movement of the second guide arm 28 from the position of Figure 2 into that of Figure 5, the return spring 33 has been compressed and energized. When the operator releases the handle 5 the energy stored in spring 33, acting through the guide arm 28. plunger 2|, guide arm 20. safety spring 33, and bracket 5,

will return the handle 5 to its neutral position as leased by the operator. Return spring 33 is also preferably installed in somewhat preloaded condition and thus all moving parts of the latch control mechanism are at all times under spring tension and objectionable vibrations and rattles are ettectively prevented.

If the latch mechanism is locked to prevent unauthorized opening of the door the actuating member or arm 4 will be blocked against movement between its non-operating or neutral position (Figure 2) and its operating or latch releasing position (Figure If an attempt is now made to open the door by pulling outwardly on the handle 5 the result will be that the handle 5 may be moved outwardly into the position shown in Figure 6 but the plunger 2| and the guide arms 26 and 28 will not move substantially from their positions as seen in Figure 2 (see Figure 6). Thus the handle 5 may be idled through the same path that it takes in its operating movement. During the idling movement of the handle the safety spring 36 is wound up or loaded, the end portion 32 thereof remaining substantially stationary while the ends 3| are rotated, by engagement of the arms l8, about the pivot pin |6. Under the circumstances just described the safety spring 30 also acts as a return spring to move the handle back into the position in Figure 2 when it is released from the position seen in Fi e 6. p

It will be noted that in Figure 6 the handle has been moved outwardly to the limit of its permitted movement, the abutment l1 on the bracket portion 6 having reached and engaged the vertical wall l3 of the housing H. The spring 33 is so designed and installed that, when the latch mechanism is locked, the maximum load which can be imposed on the latch mechanism through the spring 30 and the plunger 2|, which occurs when handle 5 reaches its fully extended position seen in Figure 6, is insuflicient to cause any damage to or overloading of the latch mechanism through the arm 4. After the handle 5 reaches its fully extended position as seen in Figure 6 any additional outward pull thereon will be absorbed by the housing H, which is in effect a part of the door structure, and will not be transmitted to the latch mechanism. Thus my improved safety handle construction provides means for efl'ectively protecting the latch mechanism against damage due to attempts to move the handle, or other manually operable member, when the latch mechanism is locked. It will be understood that the safety spring 30 will be designed to provide the desired action and to insure operation of the latch when unlocked but will not be so strong as to impose an undesirablyv great resistance to movement of the handle 5 when the latch mechanism is locked.

In Figures 7, 8, and 9 I have illustrated a modified form of safety handle mechanism incorporated in a door having an outer panel I and associated with a latch having an actuating member on arm 4. The function and mode of operation of the arm 4 is the same as that previously described. As seen in full lines in Figure '1 the handle assembly and the arm 4 are in their neutral positions. The mounting of the handle assembly in this embodiment is similar to that previously described, the bezel supporting portion 34 carrying the housing H which is secured to the door structure by screws 35. The handle end bracket portion is generally indicated at 36 and the handle proper at 31. Bracket 36 is formed with spaced parallel side walls I ment or web 53.

38 and 39 which, as seen in Figure 8, fit within the inwardly projecting plate portions 40 and 4| of housing H. The plate portions 49 and 4| have their innermost ends turned toward each other to form abutments 40' and 4|, see Figure 9, which coact with the inner edges- 38 and 39' of walls 38 and 39 of the bracket 36 to limit latch releasing movement of handle 31 and bracket 36. As shown in phantom lines in Figure 7, the stop portion 39' of wall 39 engages abutment 4| to limit movement of handle 31 and bracket 36 in latch releasing direction. A

pivotal support for the handle 31 and bracket 36 is provided by a pin 42 extending between and carried by the plate portions 49 and 4| of housing H. Also pivotally mounted on the pin 42 is an arm or lever member 43 which, as is seen in Figure 8, is of generally channel shaped cross section having a web portion 44 adapted to engage the end wall 45 of bracket 36. In this embodiment of my invention the safety spring is a preloaded coil spring 46 supported at its inner end by a boss 41 on the lever 42 and at its outer end by a guide pin 48 which has a flange portion 49 against which the outer end of spring 46 abuts. In order to accommodate for angular movement of the parts, as will later appear, the outer end 48' of guide pin 43 is of generally hemispherical form and is seated in a corresponding cup or recess 56 in the bracket 36.

Return of the handle 31 from its extended or operating position to its neutral position, when the latch mechanism is unlocked and the arm 4 is free to move, is effected by the return spring 5| which is disposed around the pivot pin 42 and has its end portion 52 engaging a web 53 of housing H and its other ends 54 engaging lugs 55 which are struck inwardly from the side walls 38 and 39 of bracket 36. Web 53 is also an abutment which coacts /with stop portion 39" of side wall 39 of bracket 36 to stop the handle 31 at its neutral position. In Figure '1, handle 31 and bracket 36 are shown in their neutral or non-operating positions, the stop portion 39" being in engagement with the abut- The action of return spring 5| is such that, when the handle 31 and bracket 36 are moved in counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Figure '1, the spring 5| is loaded and the energy stored in the spring is effective to return the bracket and handle to their normal positions when released by the operator.

The operation of the apparatus of Figures 7, 8, and 9 will now be described. If the parts are in their neutral positions and the latch mechanism is unlocked, outward movement of the handle 31 (counterclockwise about the pivot pin 42 as seen in Figure '7) will cause the lever 43 to rotate about the pivot 42 and, through its engagement with the arm 4, cause inward movement of arm 4 to release the latch mechanism. During this operation the safety spring 46 is not substantially compressed and the handle 31, bracket 36, pin 46, spring 46 and lever 44 move as a unit. When the handle is released after this operation these parts are returned as a unit to their neutral positions by the return spring 5|.

If, however, the latch mechanism is locked and the arm 4 is fixed against movement from the position seen in Figure 7, outward movement of the handle 31 will result in corresponding moveposition shown in Figure 7. During this movement of handle 31 and bracket 66 the lever 46 remains substantially stationary because of its engagement with the flxed arm 4. The safety spring 46 will be compressed and the ball and socket engagement of the pin 46 in the bracket 66 will permit the pin and spring to assume the necessary angular position to prevent binding. Upon release of the handle after such an idling operation both the safety spring 46 and return spring 4| will serve to move the handle back to its neutral position. Thus this embodiment of my invention achieves substantially the same re-' sults as those obtained by the form shown in Figures 1 to 6 and the spring 46 is designed so that, when the latch mechanism is unlocked, it will serve to hold the web 44 of lever-46 in engagement with the end wall 45 of bracket 66. By installing the spring 46 in preloaded condition sufllcient force is exerted thereby to prevent relative movement of the lever 43 and bracket 66 during normal operation of the handle unit when the latch is unlocked while permitting the handle to move, when the latch is locked, without building up excessive or dangerous loads on the latch mechanism.

In Figures 10. 11. and 12 a third embodiment of my safety handle apparatus is illustrated. In this form of the invention the handle 56 carries a an end bracket member, generally indicated at 51, having side wall portions 58 and 56 projecting inwardly in parallel relation through the opening in the body panel I into the housing H" which is carried by the bezel supporting portion 66 and 6 held in position on the door 'by screws 6|. As is best seen in Figure 11, the housing H" includes side plate portions 62 and 63 and an end wall portion 64. In order pivotally to support the handle 56 and bracket 51 a pin 65 extends through the walls 62 and 63 of housing H" and is retained in position as by riveting its ends as indicated in Figure 11. The side walls 56 and 56 of bracket 51 are suitably apertured to receive Pin 65 which forms an axis of rotation for handle 56 and bracket 51.

A tubular guide sleeve 66 has its outer end portion flared as seen at 66' and is supported on the bracket 51 by a generally hemispherical projection or boss 61.. Carried by the sleeve 66 for sliding movement therein is a plunger member 66. Slots 69 in sleeve 66 accommodate a transversely extending pin 16 which extends through the plunger66 into the slots 66 to limit the sliding movement of the plunger in the sleeve. A flange or spring abutment member 1| has a sliding flt on the sleeve 66 adjacent its inner end and a return spring 12 is disposed around the plunger 66 and abuts flange 1| at its outer end and a sleeve 16 at its inner end. This sleeve member 13 is suppor ed in the end wall 64 of housing H" and is apertured to permit plunger 68 to move freely therethrough. The safety spring 14 is carried by the sleeve 66 and engages the flared end portion 66' thereof at its outer end and flange 1| at its inner end.

Abutments 15 and 16 are bent inwardly from the side plates 62 and 63 of housing H" (see Figures 10 and 11) and coact with stop portions 11 on the side walls 56 and 59 of bracket 51 to limit movement of handle 56 toward the door panel I. In Figure 10 the handle 56 and bracket 51 are shown in their neutral or non-operating positions, the stops 11 being in engagement with the abutments 15 and 16. Movement of the handle 56 and bracket 51 in operating direction the actuating member or arm 4 of the latchmechanism is made by the rounded inner end 66' of plunger 66 (see Figure 10) and the operation of the apparatus shown in Figures 10, 11 and 12 is as follows.

Assuming that the latch mechanism is unlocked and the actuating member or arm 4 is free to move from its non-operating or neutral position seen in Figure 10 into its operating or latch releasing position as has been previously described, when the operator pulls outwardly on handle 56 the bracket 51 is rotated in counterclockwise direction (Figure 10) about its pivotal support 65. This movement causes the sleeve 66 and spring 14 to move inwardly carrying therewith the flange and pin 16 against which flange 1| normally abuts as seen in Figure12. As pin 16 is carried by plunger 66 corresponding inward movement is imparted to plunger 68 and transmitted to the arm 4 to efiect latch releasing movement thereof. During this movement of plunger 69 and flange 1| the return spring 12 is compressed. However the safety spring 16, which is preferably preloaded when installed, is not substantially compressed because its resistance to compression is greater than the force required to move the arm 4 into latch releasing position. Thus, when the latch mechanism is unlocked, the handle 56, bracket 51, sleeve 66, and plunger 66 move as a unit, the phmger 66 being guided by the flxed sleeve 16 on the housing 11" and limited angular movement of the plunger and sleeve assembly being permitted by the ball and socket connection between the end 66' of plunger 66 and the boss 61 on bracket 51. when the operator releases the handle the return spring 12, acting upon the bracket 51 through the flange 1|, relatively stiff spring 14, and the outer end portion 66' of sleeve 66, moves the bracket 51 and arm 56 back into neutral or non-operating position as seen in full lines in Figure 10.

If the latch actuating member or arm 4 is locked against movement and the operator pulls outwardly on the handle 56 the plunger 66 will not move inwardly as it will be prevented from doing so by the arm 4. The flange 1| is also held against inward movement by its engagement with the pin 16. in the plunger 66. However the sleeve 66 may move inwardly over the plunger 66 due to the slots 69 and during such movement of sleeve 66 the safety sprin 14 will be compressed. Thus the handle 66 may be idled even though the latch mechanismis locked and the maximum force which can be transmitted by the plunger 66 against the arm 4 is that which is built up by compression of the safety spring 14.

This spring is designed so-that the maximum possible pressure of the plunger 66 against arm 4 will be substantially less than the load which can be safely taken by the latch mechanism and thus idling movement of the handle 56 cannot result in damage to the latch. when hanme 56 reaches its fully extended position with the edge 16 of bracket 51 in engagement with the end wall 64 of housing 1H", as seen in phantom lines in Figure 10, any further pull on the handle will be absorbed by the housing H" and the door structure and thus under no circumstances can the latch 11' mechanism be injured by forces exerted on the handle 58.

' Another embodiment of my safety handle mechanism is illustrated in Figures 13 to 16 inclusive. In this form of my invention the handle 18 has an operating bar or lever 88 extending inwardly at its inner end through an aperture 8| in the bezel or supportin frame member 82. The generally hemispherical inner end portion 83 of handle 18 fits into a corresponding recess 84 in the bezel 82 and a curved washer 85 is slidably mounted on the square bar or lever 88 for engagement with the correspondingly curved inner surface 85 of bezel 82. To maintain washer 85 in frictional sliding engagement with surface 85 a flange 81 is crimped upon or otherwise rigidly secured to the bar 88. A corresponding flange or washer 88 is slidingly mounted on bar 88 in engagement with the outer surface of curved washe1- 85. Between the washers 81 and 88 is a compression spring 88 which holds the sliding washer 88 against curved washer 85 thus maintaining frictional engagement of washer 85 with the surface 88 of bezel 82 and permitting the handle 18 to have pivotal movement about the vertical center line of the spherical end portion 84 thereof. Such movement of handle 18 may only be in a plane substantially normal to the outer door panel I as the recess 8| in bezel 82 has top and bottom edge walls which engage the top and bottom faces of the rectangular bar or lever 88.

In this embodiment of my invention the contact member which engages the actuating member or arm 4 of the latch mechanism comprises a lever 88 which is supported at one end on a pin 8|, of square cross section, which projects into and is rigidly supported by the inward projection 82 of bezel 82. The lever 88, as is best seen in Figures and 16. is apertured at 88 to accommodafe the pin 8| and the cross section of this aperture 83 is sufliciently larger than the cross section of pin 8| to permit limited swinging movement of lever 88 axially of pin 8| as will be later described. Substantial rotational movement of lever 88 about the axis of pin 8| is prevented by the square cross section of pin 8| and the correspondingly shaped aperture 83 in lever 88.

Supported by the pin 8| and disposed therearound is a combination safety and return spring 84. As seen in Figures 15 and 16, the outer end of this spring 84 abuts the inner face of lever 88 and its inner end abuts a washer 85 which is held in position on the pin 8| as by a nut 88 on the threaded outer end of pin 8|. This spring 84 isinstalled in preloaded or compressed condition and when the parts are in their neutral or nonoperating positions (see in full lines in Figures 13 and 15) it maintains the outer surface 88' of lever 88 in engagement with the lower half 81 of the end of the projection 82 on bezel 82. As is clearly seen in Figures 15 and 16 this lower half 81 of the end of projection 82 extends at right angles to the axis of pin or rod 8|. The upper half 88 of the inner end of projection 82 is beveled -or relieved toward the door side panel I and the junction 88 of the surfaces 81 and 88 forms a pivot or fulcrum about which the lever 88 may have limited inward swinging movement.

As is best seen in Figure 13 the inner end of bar or lever 88 is rounded at 88' and engages the outer surface of lever 88. In operating the apparatus just described, when the latch mechanism is unlocked and the arm 4 is free to move inwardly into latch releasing position; outward movement of the handle 18 will'cause corresponding inward movement of the bar 88 and the engagement of the inner end portion 88' thereof with lever 88 will swing lever 88 in counterclockwise direction (Figure 15) about the pivot point 88 into the phantom line position shown in Figure 15. This pivotal or rotational movement of lever 88 will occur because the force exerted by the preferably preloaded pring 84 against the inner face of lever 88 is suflicient to hold it against the end of fixed projection 82. Upon releasing the handle 18 under these conditions the spring 84 will straighten out the lever 88 and move it back into its neutral position as seen in full lines in Figure 15 and this movement will be transmitted through the bar 88 to the handle 18 causing it to return to its neutral position as seen in Figure 13. One side of the inner end of bar 88 engages an abutment I88 on the bezel 82 to outward swinging movement of lever 88 while engagement of the opposite side of bar 88 with the edge of aperture 8| (as'seen in phantom lines in Figure 13) limits outward movement of handle 18.

When the latch mechanism is locked and the actuating member or arm 4 is blocked against inward movement and the handle 18 is pulled outwardly. the corresponding inward movement of bar 88 will cause the lever 88 to swing inwardly about the point of engagement |8| between the lever 88 and arm 4 and will compress the spring 84 as shown in Figure 16. From the above description it will be seen that when the latch mechanism is unlocked the handle 18 and bar 88 may be moved to effect swinging movement of the contact member or lever 88 about the pivot point 88 formed by the junction of the end surfaces 81 and 88 of projection 82 while, when the arm 4 is blocked against inward movement, movement of the handle 18 into its extended position will cause lever 88 to be pivoted about its opposite end at |8| and the safety spring 84 to be com pressed. The limit. of outward movement of the handle 18 is reached when bar 88 engages the end of slot 8 and outward force applied to the handle after reaching this position will be taken by the bezel 82 and the door structure. The parts are so proportioned that this position of bar 88 is reached before spring 84 reaches its maximum vielding or fully compressed condition (see Figure 16) and thus it is impossible by movement of handle 18 to exert a greater load on the locked latch mechanism than can be transmitted through the resilient spring 84. In either idling or operating conditions the compression of spring 84 is effective to return the lever 88, bar 88, and handle 18 to their neutral or non-operating positions. Thus spring 84 acts both to return the handle 18 to neutral position (Figure 13) and to serve as a safety spring to permit idling movement of the handle 18 and to prevent excessive force from being applied when the latch mechanism is locked.

It will be noted that in all of the illustrated embodiments of my invention the movement of the manually operable handle or the like in latch releasing direction is limited by a fixed stop on the frame or housing which is located to be effective to limit releasing movement of the handle before the safety spring reaches its maximum yielding position (the position in which it acts as a solid member rather than as a resilient spring member). As noted above this makes it impossible to overload the latch mechanism.

Although I have described in considerable de- 1. Control mechanism for door latches including a supporting frame structure, a manually operable handle pivotally supported on said frame structure for movement betweena neutral or non-operating position and an operating or latch releasing position and having an inner end bracket portion, a lever pivotally mounted at one end on said supporting frame for movement about the same axis as said handle and end bracket, said lever extending from said axis in the opposite direction from said handle and having its other end disposed outside of said handle and end bracket portion thereof, stop means on said end bracket portion disposed to engage said lever between its said ends and adapted to limit movement of said lever about its pivotal support in one direction relative to said end bracket portion, a guide pin having one end pivotally engaging said end bracket portion, an abutment flange on said guide pin, a coil spring surrounding said guide pin and extending between said abutment flange and said other end of said lever member, said coil spring being under compression and tending to maintain said guide pin in engagement with said end bracket portion and said lever in engagement with said stop means, and independent return spring means for urging said handle and end bracket portion thereof. toward neutral or non-operating position. a

2. Control mechanism for door latches including a supporting frame structure, a manually operable handle pivotally supported on said frame structure for movement between a neutral or nonoperating position and an operating or latch releasing position and having an inner end bracket portion, a lever pivotally mounted at one end on said supporting frame, said lever extending in the opposite direction from said handle and having its other end disposed outside of said handle and end bracket portion thereof, stop means on said end bracket portion disposed to engage said lever between its said ends and adapted to limit swap 79 movement of said lever about its pivotal support in one direction relative to said end bracket portion, a guide pin having one end pivotally engaging said end bracket portion, an abutment flange on said guide pin, a. coil spring surrounding said guide pin and extending between said abutment flange and said other end of said lever member,

said coil spring being under compression and tending to maintain said guide pin in engagement with said end bracket portion and said lever in engagement with said means.

3. Control mechanism for door latches including a supporting frame structure, a manually operable handle pivotally supported on said frame structure for movement between a neutral or non-operating position and an operating or latch 'releasing. position and having an inner end bracket portion, a lever pivotally mounted at one end on said supporting frame for movement about the same axis as said handle and end brack'et, said lever extending from said axis in the opposite direction from said handle and having its other end disposed outside of said handle and end bracket portion thereof, means on-said end bracket portion for limiting movement of said lever about its pivotal support in one direction relative to said end bracket portion, a guide pin having one end pivotally engaging said end bracket portion, an abutment flange on said guide pin, a coil spring surrounding said guide pin and extending between said abutment flange and said other end of said lever member, said coil spring being preloaded and adapted to urge said handle and lever in opposite directions about their pivotal support on said frame, and independent returnspring means for urging said handle and end bracket portion thereof toward neutral or non-operating position.

' EDWIN L. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Joachim Aug. 14, 1945 

